California man pleads guilty to taking 2 bear cubs from their den

A Northern California man who admitted to taking two bear cubs from their den and notified officials after he was unable to care for them pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited species, wildlife officials said.

Cody Dylon Setzer, 29, and a co-worker who has not been identified and cooperated with authorities took the bears from their den in a tree that had fallen across a forest road, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday. The cubs were estimated to be less than four weeks old at the time, the department said.

Setzer contacted wildlife officers on March 9, 2019, and told them he had found the baby bears along Highway 263 north of Yreka in Siskiyou County, the department said.